C1–C2
UNIT 8 TEST | Version A
Part A • Grammar, Vocabulary and How to …
GRAMMAR
1 Rewrite the sentences to make them more concise.
You are given the first words where appropriate.
1 I attended a meeting that lasted four hours yesterday.
I attended a _______________________________.
2 Concerns are growing rapidly over the stability of the
government.
There are _______________________________.
3 A wind that was cold and bitter blew all morning.
A _______________________________.
4 A restaurant that is not far from the office would be
perfect.
A restaurant _______________________________.
5 People think very highly of Dimitris in the company.
Dimitris _______________________________.
6 Evidence which cannot be substantiated is not
acceptable in court.
_______________________________.
7 I need a place where I can study quietly.
I need a _______________________________.
8 The film which has a basis in fact has received critical
acclaim.
The _______________________________.
9 It will take a while before we can print out the whole of
the report.
It will take a while _____________________________.
10 The lamb, which had been baked slowly, was absolutely
delicious.
The _______________________________.
/10
2 Choose the correct words to complete the
sentences.
1 I’ll work / be working in the town centre tomorrow, so
let’s meet up for lunch.
2 By what time tonight will you finish / will you have
finished your assignment?
3 Thanks for the information. I’ll be calling / call you as
soon as I’ve read it.
4 He’ll have resigned / resign tomorrow – I’m convinced
of it.
5 I’ll still read / be reading this at midnight if I’m not
careful!
/5
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3 Complete the sentences with the correct form of will
or would.
1 The computer _________ print. I’ve been trying over
and over again – can we get someone to look at it?
2 As a child he __________ push vegetables round his
plate to avoid eating them.
3 I __________ hope that he’s home by now – it must
have been a long day for him.
4 They __________ all be sitting round a table sharing a
meal right now – believe me.
5 My sister __________ borrow my phone however often I
ask her not to.
/5
VOCABULARY
4 Complete the sentences with the correct words.
1 I’ve been putting off the work for ages, but I really need
to get to g _ _ _ _ with it before the weekend.
2 Tanja has a particular k _ _ _ _ for getting straight to the
heart of the problem under discussion.
3 My great-grandmother celebrated her 95th birthday
yesterday and she is in very good s _ _ _ _ for her age.
4 Occasionally we need to take risks and step outside our
comfort z _ _ _ _.
5 The new manager has shown exceptional d _ _ _ _ and
determination since he was appointed.
/5
5 Complete the sentences with the correct adjectives
using the words in capitals.
1 The rhythm of the rain was __________ and I fell asleep
within minutes. HYPNOSIS
2 When the chiropractor massages my muscles, I get a
__________ sensation down my spine. TINGLE
3 I gave an __________ gasp when I saw how much
money was in the envelope. VOLUNTEER
4 There was an __________ article online this morning
about the rise in energy prices going forward. SETTLE
5 Some people get __________ when they look through
photos of their childhood homes. NOSTALGIA
/5
1
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UNIT 8 TEST | Version A

6 Complete the compound adjectives in the HOW TO …

sentences.
8 Choose the correct words to complete the
1 His account of the accident is so far-__________ that sentences.
no one will believe it for a moment.
1 The fact that the job facilitates remote working is a
2 The up__________ election is too difficult to call but I
large / big plus for me.
wouldn’t be surprised if the polls proved wrong for once.
2 Without a doubt / misgiving, what you’ve put forward is
3 In time-__________ fashion, the last day of the school
the best course of action.
year will be marked by a party in the gym.
3 The opinion / reasoning behind my stance on this
4 The dog and cat have been life__________ friends and
subject should be obvious.
separating them would be an impossibility.
4 There’s a general decision / consensus that we
5 There is a widely-__________ belief that fasting is the
shouldn’t discuss the issue until February at the earliest.
best way to diet, but this is a misconception.
5 Unfortunately, there is no evidence to follow / back up
/5
Mr Lynch’s interesting theory.
6 One real success / positive about the proposal is its
7 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the simplicity to implement.
verbs in the box. There are two extra verbs you do 7 With the allowance / benefit of hindsight, it would
not need. probably have been better to take a different route.
8 It’s never / not that I have no opinion on the matter, I
crop kick-start mess offset open restore
do.
unwind
9 A(n) pertinent / applicable example might be the effect
1 After a good holiday, it can often be tricky to restructuring has had on our employees’ wellbeing.
__________ my brain into some sort of work mode. 10 The point / matter is that there are not enough
2 We shouldn’t hide our troubles but __________ up to a members present to vote on the issue.
friend and get some advice. /10
3 To __________ the amount of holiday I’d taken, I added
a few hours onto my working day for a week. Total: /50
4 If you get conflicting advice from a lot of different
sources it can __________ with your mind.
5 The issue of funding for the project __________ up at
every meeting.
/5

© 2023 Pearson PHOTOCOPIABLE 2

 C1–C2
UNIT 8 TEST | Version A
Part B • Listening, Reading and Writing
LISTENING
1 [Audio UT8.01] Listen to a podcast about a
challenge. Choose the correct answers (a, b or c).
1 The number of events the couple completed:
a 17 b 96 c 10
2 A sport that presented a challenge for one of them:
a cycling b weightlifting c shooting
3 The year they were given an award:
a 2011 b 2021 c 2022
4 The place they came from:
a Bristol b Weymouth c London
/8
2 [Audio UT8.01] Listen again. Are the statements
True (T) or False (F)?
1 The speaker is aware that the story may not be new to
some. T / F
2 Charlotte and Stuart decided to take up the challenge to
see how far they could push themselves. T / F
3 Money was donated mainly from the UK. T / F
4 The speaker is at a loss to understand the motivation
behind their commitment. T / F
5 Charlotte and Stuart trained themselves to be able to
complete each sport. T / F
6 Charlotte and Stuart ordered the events to minimise
chances of injury. T / F
7 Charlotte encountered some problems while
windsurfing. T / F
/7
READING
3 Read the article. Which of the points (1–5) are
mentioned in the article?
1 rhythms in everyday life
2 examples of traditional drumming
3 bands taking their cue from the drummer
4 a two-day charity challenge
5 muscle problems often faced by drummers
/5
The rhythm of life?
It’s natural, isn’t it? Music’s playing somewhere and there’s
your foot, tapping out the rhythm on the floor and maybe your
shoulders join in and lift and drop a little. Some of us might go
even further and tap along in time with our fingers on our
knees, thighs, perhaps even the edge of a table. There’s
rhythm all around us and within us. The beat of our hearts, the
mechanical chug-chug of a printer, rhythm is everywhere and
is at the very heart of many types of music. In almost every
culture in the world there is some form of drumming tradition
– it is universal, primeval; from the Vanuatu Women’s Water
Music, where percussion sounds are created by slapping water,
to the ancient tradition of Chinese drumming which stunned
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the world at the opening of the 2008 and 2022 Olympics.
And, of course, the drummer is the very heart of many modern
bands, his steady beat guiding the music, melodies rising,
building and developing around him. It is the drummer who
begins and usually the drummer who calls the ending.
For me, drummers have always held a special fascination;
their ability to have all four limbs doing different things at the
same time is baffling to someone who can just about strum a
chord or two on a guitar. And what also never fails to astound
me is the amount of energy used to maintain a period of
drumming and the total involvement of the drummer in the
rhythms he is creating; surrounded by the noise that he
produces, the drummer often appears lost in his own internal
world, a world of rhythms accessible only to him.
Research has shown that the brain of a drummer is slightly
different to everyone else’s; it’s all related to the need for
keeping good timing and this in turn is connected to the
problem-solving area of the brain. The implications are that
drummers are indeed special people. They think differently,
they have an intuitive relationship with and understanding of
rhythmic patterns, and they are often highly intelligent.
Recently, drumming has received a lot of media attention. A
young Welsh weather presenter, Owain Wyn Evans, made the
headlines with a twenty-four hour ‘drumathon’ to raise money
for charity; a feat which left him with blistered fingers and
locked muscles, but which raised both money and an
awareness of the power of drumming. Over the twenty-four
hours – allowed a five-minute break every sixty minutes –
people watched Owain play solo, duet with gifted teenagers
and play with some of the greatest drummers in the world. It
seemed at first an almost impossible challenge, but he
succeeded and raised over three million pounds to help
disadvantaged children in the UK. The weather presenter
started to play drums in response to being bullied at school,
because it relieved the tension. He believes that anyone can
take up drumming, at any time, and a drummer can play gentle
music as well as thumping out rock beats.
The physical and mental health benefits of drumming are said
to be significant. Physically, pounding away on the drums and
cymbals can give you a complete work out – although perhaps
a little wilder and noisier than at the gym. Drumming uses up
a lot of calories and improves the circulation, in addition to
which it produces endorphins, making us feel good and
reducing pain levels. As Owain pointed out, it is therapeutic
and can calm anxiety and reduce stress. Of course, there are
downsides. As the drummer is surrounded by noise, often
extremely loud noise, hearing can suffer. However, there are
special types of ear plugs that can minimise the potential
problems, reducing dangerous levels of sound while allowing
the drummer to still hear the music and the beat of his own
drums. But, as for the effect on other residents of having an
enthusiastic drummer practising on their drum kit in their
bedroom – well – the jury’s out on that one.
3
 C1–C2
UNIT 8 TEST | Version A

4 Read the article again. Choose the correct option, A, WRITING

B or C.
5 Read the notice. Which of the points (1–5) would
1 Which sentence best summarises Paragraph 1? you expect to be included in the description?
A Everyone can play the drums.
Fascinating People!
B The drummer is the most important person in a band
or group of musicians. We are looking for descriptions of people past or present who
C Rhythm is central to our lives. are larger than life, or who have a special ability. Post your
2 The writer expresses description on the website and check out others’ posts.
A admiration for anyone who can play an instrument.
B amazement at the amount of physical exertion 1 how you came across or heard about the person
involved in drumming. 2 why they are special
C envy at the world in which the drummer gets lost. 3 details about their hometown
3 Which point does the writer mention? 4 an informal style
A Drummers are often considered strange. 5 the person’s influence – negative or positive
B Drummers have been the subjects of studies. /5
C Drummers develop good relationships with others.
4 During the ‘drumathon’,
6 Write your description in 300–400 words.
A Owain was regularly replaced by other drummers.
/15
B Owain had some physical issues.
C Owain was watched by millions of people.
5 Regarding the effects of drumming, the writer concludes Total: /50
that
A it is good for most people, apart from perhaps those
living with the drummer.
B drummers inevitably experience some degree of
deafness.
C drumming should be prescribed for unfit people.
/10

© 2023 Pearson PHOTOCOPIABLE 4

 C1–C2
UNIT 8 TEST | Version A

Part C • Speaking
SPEAKING
1 Describe and compare the pictures showing people who are exhausted.
Why might the people have reached these states?

/15

2 Answer your partner’s question.

/5

3 Listen to your partner talk about their pictures. Ask:

How might the people feel after these experiences? Why?
Total: /20

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